Successful touchless ticketing trial extended until September

Trials that have enabled travellers in West Yorkshire to use their mobile phone as a travel pass on The Shuttle 662 bus route from Keighley to Bradford are to be extended.

From Monday 17 July, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Becotix and Keighley Bus Company will expand the innovative scheme to include all the operator�s local town network in Keighley (K1 to K11), the 760 service from Keighley to Shipley Market Place as well as the existing Shuttle 662 route.

Originally set to finish last month, the app scheme has been so successful, with 250 registered users and more than 3,000 journeys completed, that it will now run through to Saturday 30 September.

KPay � previously known as the 662 Pay app � works by calculating the length of a person�s bus journey by using special Bluetooth tags fitted to buses and bus stops along the route.

To use the system, customers download the KPay Android app to their phone, register and pay a deposit. Then, before starting each journey, they touch a button marked �ride� in the app and show their pass to the driver.

The Bluetooth tags calculate the length of their route and the app caps the price of travel at the best value over the course of the day or week. There is no need for interaction with the ticket machine, meaning faster boarding times, and no need for customers to have advance knowledge of their ticket options. Passengers also get a 10% discount on all journeys when the app is used.

Andy Nash, Founder of Becotix, said:

�Our goal is to make it simple to travel on public transport without the need to worry about having the right money or the complexity of choosing the best ticket. With Becotix�s you can just travel and, if your plans change, the ticketing changes with you. We are delighted to be extending this revolutionary new way of travelling to Keighley with our partners in Transdev and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.�

�We believe in effective partnership working and I�m delighted that we are extending this successful initiative for our customers in Keighley.

�The KPay app will make using our local bus services even easier and cheaper and, alongside our friendly team of drivers, free WiFi and USB power on board as standard on most routes in the town, it will also make our product even better.

�We look forward to this trial being a success and encourage people to register at http://kpay.becotix.co.uk to take part, as well as sharing their views with us."

When the trial was first launched earlier this year, Cllr Wakefield, West Yorkshire Combined Authority�s Transport Chair, said:�

�We have already taken huge strides to simplify ticketing with the MCard smartcard.

�Most people carry smart devices, and rely on them for everyday life. This trial turns their smartphone into their bus ticket or pass, and helps them obtain the best value for money.�

Existing users of the 662 Pay app will need to update their app from 17 July to make use of the new routes. They will be prompted to do this by the app. New users can find out more about the KPay app, the routes involved and how to sign up at http://kpay.becotix.co.uk.

Customers must be aged 18 or over to take part and use an Android phone that is less than two years old.�